A werewolf chef, a cursed family, a spell to forget. You’ll meet these and more in the ten stories of the KILLER SEASONS installment of #StrangeLit, featuring:

“The Forget You Brew” by Tara Frejas

For 20-year-old Kyle Thomson, nothing in the world is more terrifying than the prospect of telling Allison Jeon that he loves her. That is, until he finds out that this mystical café in a peculiar place called Nowheretown had served her a cup of afforgeto—a brew for forgetting—a drink she ordered intending to forget him. Hoping to reverse the spell, Kyle reluctantly teams up with a bunny-eared hopeless romantic and a badass barista to retrieve Allison’s memory jar from the Repository of the Intangible. But when stealing back forgotten memories doesn’t quite turn out as expected, Kyle is left with no choice but to conquer his biggest fear. Can the magic of Nowheretown supply him a fixer-upper, or will the magic in his steadfast heart be enough to grant them their happy ever after?

Okay. So this time and for this book bundle, I immediately chose to read this novella by Ms. Tara. In fact, this was one of the reasons why I decided to participate in the blog tour. I know this has already a solo version and though I wanted to purchase my own copy, I don’t have the money for that. Thankfully, I was given a chance to give a review for this so thank you so much for that.

There was a part in the book that mentioned of paper planes and it immediately reminded me of the first story I read that Ms. Tara wrote and posted on her Wattpad account. It used paper planes as a themed item. Anyway, this novella made use of memories—one of the vital and at the same time, one of the most fragile part of everyone. At least, that’s how I described it.

I like the fact on how coffee was used here, as well. I mean, for a coffee addict like me, I really like that. I’m not that quite knowledgeable on the different kinds of coffee so there were some that were not exactly familiar to me. Nowheretown seemed to me like a version of Alice In Wonderland, if you’d ask me. And Kyle’s journey to the Repository of the Intangible made me remember the Cloud Kingdom from the movie Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus.

Just as how Paper Planes Back Home was written, this was a type of urban fantasy that I would really like to read over and over again. I mean, it’s really a lighthearted story despite some of the issues appearing to be so serious. I can really relate to the characters, especially in terms of unrequited or unsaid love. I’ve been there before, so I knew. But unlike Kyle and Allie, I was never given a chance to say it. Not only because I was scared like Kyle, but also because I knew I would never be chosen in the end. So, bravo for both Kyle and Tim for daring to risk themselves to do the impossible just for the woman they cared about. Yes, I have to add Tim in this because of what he did for the woman he loved all this time.

This was shorter compared to Paper Planes Back Home, but still a lovable story for me. And it made me think of one thing. Forgetting could somehow entice you that it was the best choice, but it could also be the most painful one a person would ever make in life. Of course, that depends on the importance of that certain memory to you. There are those that truly last in us despite the long time that would pass by and there are also memories that fades away in a blink of an eye. Allie’s decision to suddenly forget everything about her and Kyle made me think of this. It was a pretty sad scene for me. But Kyle was still a hopeful fellow—perhaps with the help of Tim’s expresso. And he did his best to make Allie remember those forgotten memories again—or at least parts of it.

There’s still chance for those two, right? At least, the ending provided that kind of assumption. Hopefully, this time, none of them would eventually decide to forget it once and for all.

Ms. Tara, thank you so much for the lovely story again. This was shorter compared to the review I’ve written for Paper Planes Back Home. But I hope you still like it. 🙂

About The Author:

Tara Frejas is a cloud-walker who needs caffeine to fuel her travels. By day, she works in project management and events, and she writes down her daydreams at night. Tara loves the “friends to lovers” trope so much, it appears in this story twice. She owns a six-month old male bunny, Max, who inspired the beginnings of this fictional piece and likes to try nibbling on her writing notes.

If Nowheretown were real, you’d find her pretending to get things done at Kaipuhan Kafe, when she’s really stealing glances at the badass barista. The “Forget You” Brew is her second published work after Paper Planes Back Home.